The
Qur’ân is the word of Allah which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, may
the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and preserved both verbally and in
writing by his Companions. Apart from the Qur’ân, whatever the Prophet
uttered or did was also preserved by the Companions. Thus the Sunnah includes
the sayings of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, known
commonly as ahadith (i.e. sayings), his practices, and actions which
gained his approval. Both the Qur’ân and the Sunnah fall under a common title
“wahy” (i.e. revelation or inspiration); the difference between the
two is that the Qur’ân is a revelation which is recited (matalu) in
the formal prayer (salat) while the Sunnah is not recited in the formal
prayers. The importance of the Sunnah as the second source of Islam is covered
in Chapter 2.

First
of all, we will establish that the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him, not only received the verses of the Qur’ân from Allah, but he
also received other revelation from time to time which is now preserved in the
form of ahadith. The following examples show how the Qur’ân itself
refers to this revelation:

1.
According to verse 144 of Sűrah al-Baqarah (Chapter 2 of the Qur’ân), Allah
Almighty commanded the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him, to face the Ka’bah (in Mecca) in his daily prayers instead of Jerusalem.

“We
see the turning of thy face to the heavens: now shall We turn thee to a Qiblah
that shall please thee. Turn then thy face in the direction of the Sacred
Mosque; wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction.”

But
why was the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, facing
Jerusalem before that? Verse 143 (of Sűrah al-Baqarah) shows that Allah Himself
had appointed Jerusalem as the initial Qiblah (i.e. direction faced when
praying) for the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

“And
we appointed the Qiblah to which thou was used, only to test those who followed
the Messenger from those who would turn on their heels (from the Faith).”

The
appointment of the previous Qiblah is referred to as being in the past. But
there is no verse in the Qur’ân which commands the Prophet, may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him, to face Jerusalem at the beginning of his
mission! Therefore, the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him, must have received this guidance from Allah in a form other than the Qur’ân.
As we have said above, this alternative revelation is preserved in the Sunnah.

2.
In verse 3 of Sűrah al-Tahreem (Chapter 66 of the Qur’ân), a certain
incident is cited.

“When
the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives, and she then
divulged it, and Allah made it known to him, he confirmed a part of it and
repudiated a part. Then when he told her of it, she said, ‘Who told you
this?’ He said, ‘He told me Who knows and is well-acquainted (with all
things)’.”

We
must consider carefully the phrases “Allah made it known to him” and “He
told me Who knows and is well-acquainted”, The question is, how did Allah make
it known to him and tell him? Certainly not via the Qur’ân, since there is no
mention of it anywhere else in the Book of Allah. Therefore, the Prophet, may
the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, must have been told via revelation
from Allah which is not part of the Qur’ân.

3.
In verse 5 of Sűrah al-Hashr (Chapter 59 of the Qur’ân), a reference
is made to the expedition against the rebellious Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir,
during which the Muslims cut down some palm-trees and left others alone.

“Whether
ye (O Muslims) cut down the tender palm-trees or ye left them standing on their
roots, it was by leave of Allah, and in order that He might cover the rebellious
transgressors with shame.”

Here,
their action is attributed to the “leave of Allah” given to them. Nowhere in
the Qur’ân is such permission found. Hence Allah guided the Prophet, may the
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in this matter but not via the Qur’ân.

4.
According to verses 17-18 of Sűrah al-Qiyamah (Chapter 75), Allah took
it upon Himself to collect the Qur’ân. The Prophet, may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him, directed the scribes of the Qur’ân to arrange
its Sűrahs (chapters) in the order found today; this is not the order in
which they were revealed. Therefore, since this was Allah’s responsibility, it
shows that He guided the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him, with respect to the order of the Sűrahs.

These
are just a few examples out of many which leave no doubt that the Prophet, may
the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to receive revelation from
Allah either directly or through the medium of the Angel Gabriel (Arabic:
Jibreel). A part of this revelation was preserved word for word under the title
of the Qur’ân. All other revelation was embodied either in the Prophet’s
sayings or in his practices which were carefully preserved by the Companions as
the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him.

The
various purposes served by the Sunnah

The
Mother of the Believers (Arabic: Umm al-Mu’mineen) ‘Aishah was once asked:
“What was the character of the Prophet?” She replied: “His character was
nothing but the Qur’ân”. Thus the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
was an embodiment of the Qur’ân itself: whatever he practiced or said, i.e.
the Sunnah, is related to the guidance of the Qur’ân. Let us explore the role
of the Sunnah in relation to the Qur’ân.

1.
The Sunnah explains Qur’ânic injunctions in detail.

a)
Allah says in verse 43 of Sűrah al-Baqarah (Chapter 2 of the Qur’ân):
“Establish prayer and practice regular charity”, and many similar verses
(Arabic: ayaat) also exist. All issues related to the prayer, such as the
required number of daily prayers, the number of prayer units (Arabic: rak’at)
and the recitation in each prayer, as well as how to perform the prayer from
beginning to end, are explained by the Sunnah. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
said: “Pray as you have seen me pray.” (Reported in Sahîh al-Bukhârî.)
Similarly, all issues related to the Poor Due (Arabic: zakat), such as the
minimum amount on which zakat becomes payable, the percentage paid, the kinds of
wealth, goods, and animals on which zakat is obligatory, etc. are clearly
expounded by the Sunnah of the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him.

Again,
a detailed picture of fasting and Hajj can only be seen in the Sunnah, for the
Qur’ân has touched upon both subjects briefly.

“As
to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hand - a punishment from Allah
by way of example for their crime. And Allah is exalted in Power, Wise.”

The
Sunnah explains the minimum of stolen goods for which a thief deserves this
punishment and the manner in which the hand should be cut off.

To
reject the Sunnah, as some misguided “Muslims” advocate, will render the
whole Qur’ân open to a hotchpotch of interpretations inspired by the
individuals’ whims and desires, which often come from the devil. For example,
someone who does not accept the practical demonstration of formal prayer
(Arabic: salat) given by the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
will make a mockery of salat by doing it in a way suitable to his wishes.
But how can a Muslim worship Allah, if he does not know the way in which Allah
wants to be worshipped?

2.
The Sunnah can establish a specific meaning when a number of meanings are
possible.

“It
is those who believe and confuse not their beliefs with dhulm that are in
security, for they are on (right) guidance.”

Imâm
Bukhari relates that some of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
took the word “dhulm” in its general meaning, i.e. to do injustice, to do
wrong, to sin. So they were troubled and said: “Which of us has not done
wrong?” The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, relieved them
of this worry by explaining that “dhulm” here means to commit shirk (i.e. to
associate partners with Allah in worship and/or belief; idol worship;
polytheism), as in Sűrah Luqman (Chapter 31), verse 13:

“Those
who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the Way of Allah, announce unto
them a most grievous penalty. On the day when heat will be produced out of that
wealth in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their
flanks, and their backs ... “

The
Arabic word “kanz” means a hoard, big or small. So this verse seemingly
dooms a person who hoards any amount and does not spend it in the way of Allah.
With this meaning in mind, ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, questioned
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, about this verse, to
which he replied that once the Poor Tax (zakat) which is due on the
hoarded amount is paid, it is no longer considered as “kanz”.
(Reported by Ibn Majah.)

3.
The sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Arabic: ahadith) explain some historical
events in detail since they are mentioned only briefly in the Qur’ân.

a)
Allah says in Sűrah al-Anfal (Chapter 8) verse 7:

“Behold!
Allah promised you one of the two (enemy) parties, that it should be yours; ye
wished that the one unarmed should be yours, but Allah intended to justify the
Truth according to His words and to cut off the roots of the unbelievers.”

Which
two parties are meant? Which of them is unarmed? From books of ahadith we learn
the relevant details about the Battle of Badr, which is the incident referred to
in the above verses.

b)
Sűrah al-Taubah, verse 118 says:

“(Allah
turned in mercy) to the three who were left behind;”

Who
were these three people, and why did they remain behind? Again, the books of ahadith
explain this.

c)
Sűrah ‘Abasa (Chapter 80), verses 1-2:

“He
frowned and turned away, because there came to him the blind man.”

Who
frowned and turned away, and why? Who was the blind man? The details are
furnished by the books of ahadith.

4.
The Sunnah can specify exemptions from a general injunction.

a)
In Sűrah Nisa’ (Chapter 4) verse 11, the share of children in
inheritance is given.

“Allah
directs you as regards your children’s inheritance ... “

The
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, explained that the Muslim
child of a disbeliever (Arabic: kafir) the non-Muslim child of a Muslim, and the
murderer of his/her own father, none of these can inherit.

b)
The Qur’ân declares the flesh of a dead animal and blood as prohibited
(Arabic: haraam) in Sűrah al-Ma’idah (Chapter 5), verse 3. The
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, exempted fish and locusts
from the term “dead flesh”, and the liver and spleen from “blood”.

5.
Deduction of a similar injunction in ananalogous case.

a)
Sűrah an-Nisa’ (Chapter 4), verse 23:

“Prohibited
to you are ... and two sisters in wedlock at one and the same time.”

The
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, declared that to marry a
woman as well as her aunt in the same wedlock is also prohibited.

b)
Wine has been declared unlawful by Almighty Allah in Sűrah al-Ma’idah, verse
93. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, extended the
prohibition to anything which is intoxicating in large doses, even if it is
taken in a small quantity.

6.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, gave additional
injunctions in a number of issues.

One
of the many duties of the Messenger, may the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him, was to tell the believers what is lawful (halaal) and what is
unlawful (haraam) (See Qur’ân 7:157). For example, he prohibited the
flesh of donkeys, dogs, beasts with canine teeth and birds of prey. He also made
gold and silk haraam for Muslim men, but halaal for Muslim women.

Chapter
2 - Significance of the Sunnah

No
devout Muslim would ever dare to go against the teachings of the Qur’ân and
Sunnah, but it is regrettable to note that some of the liberal elite tend to
raise the slogan that the Book of Allah (i.e. the Qur’ân) is enough and that
there is no need at all for the Sunnah of the Prophet, may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him. Slogans like this are raised mainly by people
who want to get rid of the Islamic Law (Arabic: Sharee’ah) completely.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, himself was
well-aware that such ill-natured opinions would arise and hence gave a clear
warning of this as reported by Al-Miqdam ibn Ma’di Karib, one of his
Companions: “I have indeed been given the Qur’ân and something similar to
it besides it. Yet, the time will come when a man leaning on his couch will say,
‘Follow the Qur’ân only; what you find in it as halaal, take it as
halaal, and what you find in it as haraam, take it as haraam.’ But truly,
what the Messenger of Allah has forbidden is like what Allah has forbidden.”
(Reported by Abu Dawud and Darimi.)

In
fact, ANYONE WHO REJECTS THE SUNNAH OF THE PROPHET, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
DOES NOT BELIEVE IN THE QUR’ÂN, for Almighty Allah Himself has emphasized the
importance of the Sunnah in many verses, of which a few are given below:

“O
you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those charged with
authority among you; and if you differ in anything among yourselves, then refer
it to Allah and the Messenger if you do believe in Allah and the Last Day. That
is best and most suitable for final determination.” (Sűrah Al-Nisa’ 4:59)

“The
answer of the believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger in order that
he may judge between them, is no other than this: they say, ‘We hear and we
obey’. It is such as these who will attain success.” (Sűrah Al-Nur 24:51)

“But
no, by your Rabb! (O Muhammad) They cannot be believers until they make you
judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance
against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest submission.” (Sűrah
Al-Nisa’ 4:65)

Anas
reported that the Messenger of Allah said: “I have left among you two
things; you will never go astray as long as you hold fast to them: the Book of
Allah and my Sunnah.” (Reported by Haakim.) The Companions of the Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to hold the commandments given by
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in a very high esteem,
making no distinctions between them and those given by Allah. Once ‘Abdullah
ibn Mas’ood quoted this saying of the Prophet (hadith) while he was delivering
a sermon: “May Allah curse the women who tattoo their bodies and those who
pluck their eyebrows; those who separate their teeth to make them look more
pretty and those who try to change the creation of Allah.” A woman named
Umm Yaqub from the tribe of Banu Asad came to know of these words. She
approached Ibn Mas’ood and said: “O Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman! It was reported to
me that you have cursed such and such women.” He said: “Why should I not
curse those whom the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, cursed
and who are cursed in the Book of Allah as well.” She said: “I have read
whatever is contained between the two covers (i.e. the whole Qur’ân).” Had
you been a good reader, you would have discovered it. Did you not read the
following verse?

“So
take whatever the Messenger gives you and keep away from what he forbids you.”
(Sűrah Al-Hashr 59:7)

There
are numerous examples set by the Companions which show how emphatically they
abided by the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
to the extent of severing their relations with their kith and kin once they
discovered someone going against the Sunnah. Let us have some examples from the
lives of the great Khulafah (Caliphs, i.e. leaders) of Islam followed by
a host of other Companions. Just after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
three major issues confronted the Muslim community. They could have left it
apart and disunited, had it not been for the wise guidance of Abu Bakr who
settled them amicably in the light of the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The first issue was related to the appointment of the Khalifah (i.e. leader of
the Muslims). Assembled in Saqifa Bani Sa’ida, a great number of Muhajirin
(i.e. those who emigrated from Mecca to Madina) and Ansar (those helped
the emigrants from Mecca) originally had been busy arguing this issue. The Ansar
proposed that the leader (Arabic: Emir) should be appointed from both of the
above communities. The noble companion Abu Bakr cited the saying of the Prophet:
“Leaders (Arabic: Imâms) should be from Quraish (the tribe of Prophet
Muhammad) as long as they have the understanding (of the religion).” The Ansar
conceded to this quietly. The great companion ‘Umar proposed the name of Abu
Bakr as the Khalifah which was accepted unanimously by those present there and
later followed by all the inhabitants of Madina through the oath of allegiance.

The
second issue was related to the place where the Prophet should be buried. Again
the companion Abu Bakr cited the saying of the Prophet: ‘A Prophet is to be
buried where he breathes his last.’ Accordingly, his burial took place in the
apartment of his wife, the Mother of the Faithful - ‘Aishah, where he died.

The
third issue was related to the inheritance of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
as raised by his daughter Fatima who came to the Caliph Abu Bakr asking for her
share. Abu Bakr replied by reminding her of the saying of the Prophet: “We,
the community of the Prophets, are not inherited from - whatever we leave behind
us is a charity.” Fatima didn’t argue further, but retired quietly. Once
the great companion ‘Umar saw Khalid bin Walid wearing a silk shirt. He asked
him to take it off (since it is forbidden for Muslim men to wear silk). Khalid
replied that Abd ar-Rahman ibn Auf used to have one as well. ‘Umar said:
“The Prophet allowed him because he suffered badly from itching.” Khalid,
then, had no alternative but to take if off. Following the news of the
Muslim’s victory in the conquest of Syria, ‘Umar advanced to Damascus with a
number of Companions. On reaching the outskirts of Amwas, a town in Syria, the
news of a widespread plague in the town reached him. ‘Umar consulted his
people whether or not he should venture into the town. The heated discussion
that followed came to an end when Abd ar-Rahman ibn Auf cited this saying of the
Prophet: “If you are inside a place where an epidemic breaks out, don’t
come out of it. And don’t go in if you happen to be away from such a place.”
‘Umar, eventually commanded his people to retreat. Someone still remarked:
“‘Umar! Do you run away from a destiny decreed by Allah?” To this ‘Umar
replied: “Yes, we run away from one destiny to the other decreed by Allah as
well.” Such was the wisdom of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and centuries ago it foreshadowed today’s quarantine regulations. The Caliph
‘Uthman once agreed to buy a piece of land from a person. On the completion of
the verbal agreement, he asked the man to collect the money the following day.
But the man turned up after a few days, only to renounce the agreement. He had
changed his mind because his friends had blamed him for selling the land at a
low price. ‘Uthman could have been adamant about the sale, particularly when
it had been agreed upon completely. But he remembered the saying of the Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, which admired a person who treated the
people easily and wholeheartedly in his sales. So, ‘Uthman preferred to
concede to the man’s wish without raising any objection. Once ‘Ali was
approached by a person who wanted his counsel concerning the engagement of his
daughter whose hand was sought by three persons: Hasan, Hussain and ‘Abdullah
bin Ja’far. ‘Ali found himself involved personally as his two sons were
among the candidates. But he recalled the saying of the Prophet: “The one
whose counsel is sought, should be honest.” So after giving some thought,
he told the man: “Don’t go for Hasan because he is known to have divorced
his women many times. And don’t go for Hussain as well, as he loves to be
admired. Rather go for ‘Abdullah bin Ja’far.” In one of his journeys, he
found a merchant hoarding a stock of grain in the hope of a good price. ‘Ali
reminded him of the saying of the Prophet: “The hoarder is cursed” and
instructed his people to set the stock on fire as a punishment. This is how the
Four Caliphs (Arabic: Khulafah) reacted to the Sunnah of the Prophet.

Let
us have some more examples from the lives of the Companions. ‘Abdullah ibn
Mas’ood heard a man saying after a sneeze: “Al-hamdu Lillah wa as-Salatu wa
as-Salamu ‘Ala Rasul Allah.” Ibn Mas’ood said to him: “Whatever you have
said is true, but that is not the way that the Prophet has taught us. He
instructed us to say simply “Al-Hamdu Lillah” after sneezing.” It
would be appropriate to remind all Muslims about this Sunnah, which is commonly
abandoned by a great number of them. Say “Al-Hamdu Lillah” whenever
you sneeze. If you hear someone saying this after sneezing, say to him: “Yarhamukumu
Allah” (May Allah have mercy upon you). The sneezer should pray for you as
well by saying: “Yahdi Kumullah wa Yuslihu Balakum” (May Allah guide
you and set your affairs right). There are plenty of occasions when you should
say: “As-Salatu Wa as-Salamu ‘ala Rasul Allah”. You should say it,
for example, whenever you hear the name of our beloved Prophet or whenever you
enter a mosque (Arabic: masjid) or step out of it adding these words
respectively: “Allahumma Iftah li abwaba Rahmatik” (O Allah! Open for
me the doors of your Mercy) and “Allahumma Inni As’aluka min fadlika”
(O Allah! I ask you for your Bounty).

Once
‘Abdullah ibn Abbas was sitting beside the Ka’bah when Emir Mu’awiyyah
entered the Grand Mosque and began circumambulating (Arabic: tawaf)
around the Ka’bah. He kissed the Black Stone in the beginning, but he rubbed
his hand on the other three corners of Ka’bah as well. Ibn Abbas knew that the
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, apart from kissing the Black
Stone and rubbing the Yemeni corner - had never touched the other two corners
during tawaf. So he objected to Mu’awiyyah, to which he replied: “To
me none of the four corners of Ka’bah is deserted.” “But that was not the
practice of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,” Ibn Abbas
emphasized. Mu’awiyyah could only say: “You have said the truth.” Once Ibn
Abbas saw a man drawing a picture of a living being. He advised him not to do
that because the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade such
a practice.

‘Abdullah
ibn ‘Umar was well-known for his adherence to the Sunnah. He once saw his son
Bilal stopping his wife from going to the mosque. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said:
“Don’t do that because the Messenger of Allah has said: ‘Don’t stop the
female servants of Allah from entering the Houses of Allah.” Bilal was adamant
that he would not allow her to go, even after listening to this saying. Ibn
‘Umar was so upset that he swore never to speak to him again until his dying
day. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr bin Aas had a very large garden with a great number
of palm trees. Water in this area was so abundant that his assistant planned to
sell the extra amount of it, after irrigating the whole garden, to a neighbor at
an exorbitant price of thirty thousand dirhams. That offer could have attracted
anyone except a companion like ‘Abdullah ibn ‘‘Amr who refused to approve
of this sale because the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
forbade the selling of any extra water. Abu Hurayrah used to address a gathering
of Muslims on Friday night (lit: after sunset on Thursday). Once, before
beginning his sermon, he said to the people: “Whoever has cut off from any of
his relations should leave this place.” No one stood up. On repeating these
words thrice, a young man left the place and went to his aunt whom he had
deserted a long time before and reconciled with her. Abu Hurayrah said this
because he knew that all actions are presented to Allah on each Friday night. He
didn’t like his assembly of the devout to be smeared by a person who had
committed the sin of deserting his relatives. By doing so, he saved a person
from a major sin. Anas ibn Malik was known to be a faithful servant of the
Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Once he was invited to a
party where a Magian (i.e. a Persian fire-worshipper) offered him some faluda
(a well-known drink) in a silver glass. Anas refused to accept it. He preferred
to drink in an earthen pot than to use the silver one because the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
forbade the Muslims from eating or drinking from golden or silver utensils. This
is how the Companions behaved throughout their lives - setting sublime examples
of adherence to the Sunnah.

The
numerous examples given above are from the Companions. Let us see what the four
great Imâms (i.e. religious scholars) have said about the authority of the
Sunnah.

a)
Imâm Abu Hanifah was asked: “What do we do if we find a saying of yours
opposing the Book of Allah?” He replied: “Leave my saying and stick to the
Book of Allah.” The questioner asked: “What if it contradicts a saying of
the Prophet?” Abu Hanifah said: “Leave my saying in the face of the
Prophet’s saying.” Again he was asked: “What if it goes against the saying
of a Companion?” Again he said: “Leave my saying in the face of the
Companion’s saying.” (Reported in Al-Qawl al-Mufeed by Shawkani.) Imâm Abu
Hanifah also declared: “My way (Arabic: madh-hab) is whatever hadith (saying
of the Prophet) that is proved to be authentic.” (Shami 1:50, Al-Fulani in
Iqaz, p. 62.)

b)
The saying of Imâm Malik ibn Anas is well-known: “The saying of any person
can be accepted or rejected, except for the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.”
(Reported by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr and Ibn Hazm. Also in Al-Yawaqeet wa Al-Jawahir
2:96.) He also said: “I am just a mortal; sometimes 1 am wrong, sometimes I am
right - so check my opinions. Whatever agrees with the Book (i.e. the Qu’ran)
and the Sunnah, accept it; whatever disagrees with them, reject it.” (Reported
by Al-Fulani in Iqaz, p. 72.)

c)
Once Imâm Shafi’i narrated a saying of the Prophet (hadith). Someone
from the audience said: “Do you say so as well?” On hearing this, the Imâm
was enraged. His face turned pale and he said: “Woe to you! Which earth would
carry me, which sky would shelter me if I narrate a saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and do not hold the same view! Do you see a zunnar (belt worn by
non-Muslims) on me? Or have you noticed me coming out of a church? How can I
report something from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and
not agree with ?!!”

d)
Imâm Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: “Do not follow me or Malik or Shafi’i or
Auza’i or Thawri, but take from where they took (i.e. from the Qu’ran and
authentic Sunnah).” (Reported by Al-Fulani and Ibn al-Qayyim.) He also said:
“He who is on the verge of destruction rejects a saying of Allah’s Messenger, may the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him.” (Reported by Ibn al-Jauzi.)